1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to electronic user devices and in particular to controlling the amplitude of the audio output generated by an electronic user device. Still more particularly, aspects of the disclosure relate to controlling the amplitude of audio output that is generated by an electronic user device in response to a received voice input.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many electronic user devices or systems, such as smart phones, tablets, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) include audio components that enable the device to receive audio input and generate audible output, such as speech. A growing number of these user devices also support the use of voice command inputs to trigger specific responses from the device, and voice input is increasingly being utilized as a preferred method for hands-free interaction with the user device. With the availability of voice inputs, the device listens for audio commands and provides an audio response. As two examples, with Android based devices, Google Voice Search™ implements this feature to provide voice responses to audio inputs received at the device, while with iOS based devices. Siri™ implements this feature.
One issue with the generation of an audio response from the electronic device is that the device is required to have the media volume set to some acceptable level for the outputted audio response to be audible, while not being too loud. The level of the audio output generated in response to the received voice command input is typically preset to that of the device's media volume setting. For example, with some devices, if the device is muted, the voice readouts will not be audible. Conversely, if the audio output volume is set to a high level, the audio response can be very loud and disruptive, and in some instances, can lead to user embarrassment. As one recent enhancement overcoming the scenario in which the electronic device is muted, the media volume controller unmutes the device and sets the device's audio output to a fixed volume level (e.g., the regular audio volume level from before the user places the device on mute) before announcing the audio output at that regular volume level. However, in some situations, the owner or user of the electronic device may not want the audible output to be broadcasted from the electronic device at the fixed volume.